PMI Gear SmokeNINJA PRO V2 Explained – Aero Mesh Chamber, Residue-Free Vanishing Formula, Auto Bubble Snow Nozzle

by Johnnie BehiriToday

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PMI Gear has reworked its handheld fog machine into the SmokeNINJA PRO V2, with a new chamber that stops hot liquid from spitting, a fog fluid that evaporates off surfaces at room temperature, and smoke designed to dissipate before it reaches a fire alarm. We spoke to PMI Gear’s Kelvin Chow at IBC 2026 about the three problems he set out to fix, the new nozzles and remote, and an Auto Bubble nozzle that turns the unit into a portable snow machine.

We first covered the SmokeNINJA PRO at last year’s show, where the unit’s output got the booth asked to tone down its demos. The V2 keeps the same handheld body and one-button presets. What has changed is the chamber, the fluid options, and most of the accessories in the box. PMI made these changes to address their expanding user base, including filmmakers, product photographers, miniature creators, event shooters, and even cosplayers. Kelvin framed the update around three issues he says fog machines have carried for decades: liquid spitting, residue, and fire alarms. 

Stopping the spitting inside the chamber

Fog machines tend to spit hot liquid along with the smoke, which marks the area around the machine and is a hazard for whoever is holding it. PMI’s earlier answer was a physical blocker at the outlet that caught the droplets. Kelvin’s view now is that collecting the liquid once it has left the chamber only defers the problem.

The V2 chamber moves the fix inside. A patented Aero Mesh sits in the chamber and uses airflow rather than a physical barrier to stop the droplets, then feeds that liquid back into the heating unit. According to Kelvin, the result is zero spitting and a chamber that runs about 20% longer on a fill, from 15 minutes to over 18 minutes.

The chamber remains a consumable. Kelvin said it has been tested to 200 hours, and that each one should last at least 100 hours before it needs replacing.

A fog fluid that evaporates off the product

The second problem is the sticky film that conventional fog fluid leaves behind when the machine is used close to a subject. Kelvin demonstrated it on the booth table, where the residue from a standard fluid stayed put.

PMI’s answer is the Vanishing Formula, a fluid that evaporates fully at room temperature. Left alone, the residue is gone in 30 to 40 minutes. Blowing on it speeds that up considerably, and during our interview the film visibly disappeared within a few seconds.

This matters most for tabletop work. Kelvin named miniature and toy photography, jewelry, and electronics as the obvious cases, since those are products that cannot simply be washed after the shot. The fluid is sold as the Vanishing Formula Kit, which, according to PMI includes 100ml of fluid, a dedicated chamber, and the Amplifier Nozzle, and is recommended for the SmokeNINJA PRO only.

Eight feet from the fire alarm

The same fluid also addresses the third issue. Kelvin said PMI can control how fast the smoke dissipates, and the Vanishing Formula is tuned to a dissipation distance of 8ft (2.5m). Keep the machine at least that far from a detector and, in his words, it will not trigger. The more the smoke is pushed around, the faster it disappears.

A side effect is that haze does not build up in the room between takes, which helps in small studios where a conventional fluid slowly fogs the whole space. PMI’s product page adds that detector behavior varies by venue and advises testing the setup before a shoot.

New nozzles, remote, and chamber capsule

The accessory set has been redone as well. The Amplifier Nozzle works as a jet tip, and the holes along its side draw in surrounding air and add it to the smoke stream. With a tube attached, Kelvin put the gain at 50% or more in volume compared to running without it. A new Flex Nozzle can be bent to aim the smoke wherever it is needed.

The remote now has a physical on/off switch, so it can travel in a backpack without firing the machine, plus a pairing function. Several units can be paired to one button, and Kelvin recommends up to ten machines per remote. Beyond that, DMX takes over, with no practical limit on the number of units. PMI lists the DMX module as an optional extra.

The chamber also gets a new storage capsule with a locking lid. Once locked, it is airtight, and Kelvin said a chamber can sit in it for years.

From dipping tray to six minutes of snow

Last year’s snow bubble effect relied on a dipping tray, and each dip was good for about ten seconds of output. The new Auto Bubble nozzle, also patented, removes the tray. Kelvin stressed that it has no electronic or mechanical parts, and it delivers six minutes of continuous bubbles, which he expects to go down well on wedding shoots and with children.

A second nozzle in the same package produces the snowstorm effect that was running on the booth when we arrived. It needs an external fan, and it breaks the output into very small bubbles that read as falling snow. Kelvin described it as the first portable snow maker on the market.

Because the unit is so small, it can be rigged in a truss or on a stand and triggered from the remote or over DMX, which turns it into a remote-controlled bubble and snow machine.

Use-case summary

With all the updates and changes, PMI intends to target different users, cases, and scenarios:

• For Film Crews looking for cinematic haze: SmokeNINJA PRO V2 Hazer Kit

• For Tabletop creators (miniature/jewellery/electronics): Tabletop Bundle or Vanishing Formula Kit

• For Live Events/Remote workflows: Quick dissipating formula, PMI 2.4 GHz Wireless DMX Receiver / Transmitter 

Price and availability

Kelvin put the SmokeNINJA PRO V2 kit at $229, the same price as before. That is the Hazer Kit, which includes the haze fan, the tubing nozzle, the Amplifier Nozzle, the Flex Nozzle, the new chamber, and the remote. The Vanishing Formula Kit costs $69. Both are available now. The Auto Bubble nozzle is due at dealers in October for around $30.

For more information, you can learn more about thePMI SmokeNINJA PRO V2 portable fog machine kits here.

Would residue-free fog change how close you put smoke to a product or a miniature set? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!